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God’s blessings to you for a Happy New Year 2017!
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January 2017
As our cover proclaims, 2017 presents some significant anniversaries:
• 50 years since the Six-Day War and the liberation and reunification
of Jerusalem (1967).
• 500 years since the Reformation (1517).
• 100 years since the Battle of Be’er Sheva and the Balfour Declaration,
both in 1917.
• 70 years since the UN Partition Resolution (1947).
All in all, a meaningful year to visit Israel (see p. 36).
This January issue also signals the retirement of our artistic director after 25
years. Please note his use of color, balanced layout, and general appeal. (Well
done, Don!) Content-wise, this edition provides examples of the UN’s hypocrisy
in simultaneously reviling Israel (p. 21) while praising its humanitarian efforts
(25) and military proficiency (30). We link you to a satirical video that explains
how hating Israel galvanizes the not-so-United Nations (15).
The Dead Sea Scrolls feature large this month as technological advances unveil
more about them (32). See the video that virtually un-scrolls a “charred stick.”
Myles says that their discovery in 1947 was God’s birthday present to the newly
reborn Israel, verifying Jewish history in the land (UNESCO resolutions notwithstanding, p. 21).
Other pages display Arab-Jewish cooperation (13, 28), reactions to the incoming
U.S. administration (6, 7, 11), and status reports on our embassy in Israel (1) and
a Third Temple (10). What would the holidays be without discussing Epiphany
(1) and how the Lord exploits the world’s willingness to ponder holy subjects
(12, 22)? Our regular features of medicine, science, and humor are also in place.
Mark encapsulates ZLM’s frugal mission (14) and a guide to help navigate
www.levitt.com.
Shalom,
Margot, ZLM editor
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Brethren, my heart’s desire and
prayer to God for Israel is that
they might be saved. – R OM . 10:1
By Gordon Mellish / BibleArchaeology.org
According to Jewish law, every male had to
be circumcised on the eighth day; Mary and
Joseph had their baby circumcised and named
him Yeshua/Jesus. The law also prescribed 33
days for the mother’s purification after the
circumcision, and a burnt offering and a sin
offering (Lev.12:3-8). Rather than make the
long trip back to Nazareth and then return
a few days later, Mary and Joseph stayed on
in Bethlehem, planning to proceed to the
Temple in Jerusalem to make their sacrifice
(Luke 2:22–24).
Meanwhile, an unusual star appeared in the
east. To people familiar with astronomy, this
was a sign that an important king would be
born to the Jews (Matt. 2:1–2). These wise
men (Magi) decided to make a courtesy call
on this new king.
(continued p. 2)
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To
Index
U.S. Embassy in Israel
(Compiled from
various sources)
Like most
countries that
have diplomatic
missions in Israel,
the United States
maintains its embassy in Tel Aviv.
(No international embassy is located in Jerusalem.) The U.S. also
maintains a Consulate General in
Jerusalem as part of the “Consular
Corps of the Corpus Separatum”
(corpus separatum refers to a city
or region that is separated legally
and politically from its surroundings, but without sovereignty).
Under the U.S. Constitution, the
president has exclusive authority
to recognize foreign sovereignty.
Nevertheless, Congress adopted
(continued p. 3)
Photo U.S. Embassy, Tel Aviv
Magi
Vis ted
House,
Not Manger
JANUARY 2017
2
Magi Visited House, Not Manger (cont. from cover)
Their homeland was about 1,000 miles east of Jerusalem by direct flight. But as
this was across barren desert and formidable terrain, they undoubtedly made a
more circuitous route of 1,200 to 1,500 miles, requiring a large caravan to carry
hay for the animals and food for themselves, their servants, and their guards.
Traveling 30 miles per day, it would have taken them 40–50 days to make the
journey to Jerusalem. Some contend they arrived days after His birth, on Epiphany.
Unless the star appeared a month before Jesus’ birth, this doesn’t seem reasonable:
camels just don’t move that fast. Nor did they arrive on the night He was born,
because Matt. 2:1 says that when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the Wise Men
arrived in Jerusalem, inquiring where they could find the newborn king. Herod’s
priests and scribes said, “Bethlehem of Judea” (Matt. 2:1–6). Herod had already
killed his wife and three of his sons (plus many others) because he feared they
were trying to usurp him: He had no desire for another king to arise. He asked
the Wise Men when this star had appeared and then sent them to Bethlehem to
search for the child and report back. He planned to kill this new king.
By the time the star led the Wise Men to Jesus, He was in a house and not a
manger. “When they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with
Mary His mother and fell down and worshipped Him. They opened their gifts
of gold and frankincense and myrrh” (Matt. 2:11). In a dream, they learned that
they should not return to Herod, so they returned to their own country by a
different route (Matt. 2:12).
After they left, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream saying,
“Arise and take the young Child and His mother and flee into Egypt and stay
there until I bring you word, because Herod will seek the young Child to kill
Him” (Matt. 2:13). Because the family fled to Egypt immediately following the
Magi's visit, Jesus was likely at least 8 days old and circumcised.
Adoration of the Magi, Rubens
When they entered the house, “they saw the
young child with Mary his mother and
fell down and worshipped Him.”
Matt. 2:11
To
Index
CONTENTS
Parsons: Hebrew
Lesson 16
Christians & UNESCO 21
Letters to ZLM 22
16
Myles To Go 4
2-State Rethink 6
Our Man In Haifa
Eitan Shishkoff 8
Classic Zola 9
Third Temple 10
4
UN Praises for Israeli
Disaster Relief 25
6
Science 26
Robot Teacher
Medicine 27
Beating Viruses
Anti-Semitism Surge 11
Ask The Chaplain 12
TJF Report 13
A Note From Mark 14
8
ZLM Bulletin Board 15
12
Israel’s Multicultural
First-Responders 28
Select Briefs 30
Dead Sea Scrolls
Archaeology 32
Chinese Church 34
Jewish Humor 35
35
U.S. Embassy in Israel (cont. from p.1 sidebar)
a number of concurrent resolutions that support recognizing a
united Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and urging Jerusalem
as the site of the U.S. embassy. The resolutions expressed the
“sense” of the House or Senate but had no binding effect.
The Jerusalem Embassy Act, passed by Congress in 1995, requires that the United
States establish its embassy in Jerusalem by May 31, 1999 and recognize Jerusalem
as the capital of Israel. The Act was challenged as unconstitutional because it
invades those exclusive presidential authorities in foreign policy. But the embassy
also remains in Tel Aviv because the Act allows for the president to “delay the
implementation of the law indefinitely if the move presents national security concerns.” Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama have regularly
invoked the clause, delaying the move of the embassy to Jerusalem.
The fact that a U.S. embassy is located in a particular city, like Tel Aviv, does not
legally mean that the U.S. recognizes that city as a capital. Experts in the field of
foreign relations law have conjectured that, faced with congressional force majeure
(superior force), the State Department could simply construct another embassy in
Jerusalem while continuing to argue that the U.S. does not recognize Jerusalem as
the capital. The U.S. Consulate did relocate to the southeastern Jerusalem neighborhood of Talpiot to provide visa and other consular services to residents of Jerusalem
and the Palestinian Territories.
3
As in The Days of Noah
Myles To Go
By Myles Weiss
ZLP Host
4
“The Times, They Are A-Changin’” wrote the modern-day prophetic and Nobel
Laureate poet, Bob Dylan. America is certainly in a season of radical change.
Yeshua warned us about the time leading up to His return. He told us that modern events and circumstances would be similar to events and circumstances in
ancient days:
For just as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the
Son of Man. For in those days before the flood, they were eating
and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day
Noah entered the ark. — Matthew 24:37–38
Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled
with violence. And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt,
for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.
—Genesis 6:11–12
The Hebrew word that is translated “corrupt” speaks of a dullness of heart and
lack of spiritual vision. It applies to people who are unaware of the things that
pertain to God. People in that state (then and today) are spiritually “flat” — no
longer tuned in to God’s vision and His priorities. Does that sound familiar, like
the day in which we live?
God chose to flood the Earth in ancient times, but He made a provision for a
future restoration, and He promised it to Noah. After the flood, the Lord provided
a sign for Noah:
And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between
Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future
generations: I have set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign
of the covenant between Me and the land.” —Genesis 9:12–13
(continued next page)
To
Index
5
Myles continued
After a season on the ark (which pictures salvation through
Yeshua), Noah sent out a raven and then a dove to look for dry
land. The dove came back empty-beaked, and was dispatched a second
time, returning to Noah with an olive branch:
He waited another seven days, and again he sent forth the dove
out of the ark. And the dove came back to him in the evening,
and behold, in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf.
—Genesis 8:10 –11
I find interesting that the dove (Holy Spirit) did not return with the olive branch
the first time out— just as Israel, in general, missed Yeshua—but the second
time, the dove made a direct connection and returned with the olive branch. As
Israel today connects with the “Jewishness” of the Gospel, we Believers await
Yeshua’s second appearance!
The story of Noah employs three symbols that we see the Lord deploying again
in our time —the rainbow, the dove, and the olive branch.
Olive Branch—restoration of physical Israel and the Messianic remnant
Rainbow —glorification of the international Church, as harvest comes
to the Earth
Dove —indwelling of the Holy Spirit to energize His end-time plan
Those three—Israel, the Church, and the Holy Spirit—represent God’s eternal
destiny for us: past, present, and future. God will “gather all things together in
Yeshua” (Ephesians 1:10).
Israel is one of the
colors in the rainbow
of nations
The Church is grafted
into the Olive Tree
The Holy Spirit is
being poured out on
all flesh
What was hidden since the
beginning as a mystery in
Scriptures is being openly
revealed to our generation
today (Acts 2:17), especially
to those who walk His Land.
Come with Katharine and me
on a study tour to Israel. See
page 36 to learn more. Make
history while you participate
in God’s unveiling of His truth.
Myles and Katharine in
Israel with rainbow
To
Index
Rethinking 2-State Solution
By Isabel Kershner
NYTimes.com
6
Emboldened by the Republican sweep of November’s American elections,
right-wing members of the Israeli government called anew for the abandonment
of a two-state solution to the conflict with the Palestinians.
Naftali Bennett, Israel’s education minister and the leader of the pro-settlement
Jewish Home party, advocates annexing 60% of the “West Bank” [Judea and
Samaria] to Israel, and exulted upon Donald Trump’s election: “The era of a Palestinian state is over.” Jason Greenblatt, co-chairman of Trump’s Israel Advisory
Committee, stated that Trump does not consider West Bank settlements an
obstacle to peace.
Members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party and other rightist
politicians jumped to make hay of the change, calling for the expansion of Israeli
sovereignty into the West Bank. Aryeh Deri, the ultra-Orthodox interior minister,
asserted: “We must truly be in Messianic times when everything will turn out
favorably for the people of Israel.”
Netanyahu, whose previous three terms in office all coincided with Democratic
administrations in the U.S., has been more cautious. He warmly called Trump
“a true friend” of Israel. But he also instructed his ministers and legislators to
be discreet, saying that the incoming administration should be allowed “to formulate— together with us— its policy vis-à-vis Israel and the region through
accepted and quiet channels, and not via interviews and statements.”
Netanyahu endorsed the principle of a Palestinian state in 2009. Since then, he
has tried to balance between world opinion and his right-wing constituency by
declaring support for a solution based on two states for two peoples without
going out of his way to advance it.
(continued next page)
Donald Trump meets with Benjamin Netanyahu
September 2016 in NYC
To
Index
Rethinking... continued
7
Israeli analysts point out that the Trump campaign has spread
contradictory messages. While many in Israel assume that he will
have more pressing priorities than the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict,
Trump declared recently that he would like to seal an Israeli-Palestinian peace
agreement, calling it the “ultimate deal.”
“Israel has its own interest in reaching a negotiated solution with its neighbors,”
remarked Dore Gold, a longtime Netanyahu adviser. “Netanyahu has made it clear
that this is his goal.”
But Gold also suggested that a Trump administration was likely to roll back the
demand that Israel withdraw to the 1967 lines and support borders that are more
accommodating to Israel. “Trump’s policy paper spoke about Israel having defensible borders, which are clearly different from the 1967 lines,” he observed.
Michael B. Oren, a deputy minister in the prime minister’s office and a former
Israeli ambassador to the U.S., said: “The interest of the Israelis and, in my view,
the government, is to achieve peace with the Palestinians through direct negotiations, without preconditions at any time, in order to get to a solution of two states
for two peoples.”
Gilead Sher, an Israeli former peace negotiator under presidents Ehud Barak and
Yitzhak Rabin, noted that although most of Israel’s governments over the past four
decades have been right-leaning, “never has one of them annexed one square
inch of the West Bank.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu Offers
Congrats / Thanks
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs mfa.gov.il/mfa
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by telephone
on Wednesday, 9 November 2016 with United States
President-elect Donald Trump.
Prime Minister Netanyahu congratulated President-elect
Trump on his victory and told him that the United States
has no better ally than Israel. The two leaders, who have known each other for
many years, had a warm and heartfelt conversation. They also discussed regional
issues. President-elect Trump invited Prime Minister Netanyahu to a meeting in
the United States at the first opportunity.
Prime Minister Netanyahu told President-elect Trump that both he and his wife
Sara are looking forward to meeting him and his wife Melania.
Also:
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also spoke by telephone with former U.S.
Secretary of State and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and thanked her for
supporting Israel. He told her that she has an open invitation to visit Israel.
To
Index
Sound of the Shofar
(ram’s horn bugle)
Our Man in Haifa
Eitan Shishkoff
and wife Connie
8
You don’t have to be inside the BarSheshet–Ribak shofar factory in South Tel
Aviv to smell it. The word “pungent” doesn’t begin to capture the rankness of a
shofar’s insides. This factory carries an Israeli fairy tale involving two families
that competed for decades in the shofar business. The Ribaks arrived from
Poland in 1927 and began in the building still occupied by the factory. In 1947,
the Bar-Sheshet clan, who had migrated from Spain to Morocco in 1492, made
their way to Israel and set up shop in Haifa. Finally, in the 1980s they decided
to merge. It is somehow appropriate that the holy work of cutting and polishing
shofarot (plural) should be done jointly by Ashkenazi and Sephardi families—
overcoming one of our country’s basic cultural divides.
Throughout Israel’s history one of the most compelling and enduring symbols
has been the shofar. The shofar is an instrument with a primitive and poignant
sound unlike any other. It seems to come out of the distant past—like the voice
of God carried through the Ages into the present moment.
Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the LORD
descended upon it in fire … And when the blast of the shofar
sounded long and became louder and louder, Moses spoke, and
God answered him by voice. —Exodus 19:18,19
So the people shouted when the priests blew the shofarot … When
the people heard the sound of the shofar, and the people shouted
with a great shout … the wall fell down flat. —Joshua 6:20
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with
the voice of an archangel, and with the shofar of God.
—1 Thessalonians 4:16
This small sample of Bible
references points to three
momentous events that are
accompanied by the sound of a
shofar. In two of them, the shofar is
sounded from Heaven. It would seem that
God Himself is sounding the shofar.
Eitan blowing the shofar
My love affair with the shofar began back in the
1970s when I was given my first horn. Having played trumpet as an aspiring
grade-school musician, I knew the physics of getting a sound out of it. At my
first Rosh Hashanah (Feast of Trumpets —Leviticus 23:24) as a member of a
Messianic synagogue, I was asked to sound the 100 traditional notes. What a
privilege to sound the shofar, calling God’s people back to His heart.
This message of repentance (tshuvah —”turning” in Hebrew) is found in the
concise eloquence of the prophet Joel. “Blow the shofar in Zion, sound an alarm
on My holy mountain!” (Joel 2:15,1). Even hearing these words—spoken perhaps
28 centuries ago—causes me to sober up and turn to God in preparation for
“the great and awesome day of the Lord” (Joel 2:31, Acts 2:20). Let us listen
attentively for the sound of the shofar.
To
Index
30 [now 65] AND COUNTING
9
Classic Zola
from 1981:
36 years ago
I just had a birthday on which I turned 43. This wouldn’t be a
landmark in most peoples’ lives, but as I was reflecting on it, I realized that it is an anniversary of sorts. In December of 1951 I had turned 13,
and on Jan.12 I had my bar mitzvah. On that day, then, I became a man.
The bar mitzvah service, of course, makes the Jewish boy a “Son of the
Commandments.” The Jewish people consider that the male has reached his
maturity, or at least his responsibility under the law, at age 13. During each
Jewish youngster’s 13th year (while he is age 12), he studies the Torah (the
Pentateuch) very assiduously and prepares to do his first public reading from
it shortly after his 13th birthday. Thus, we see Jesus in the Temple, in the Book
of Luke, being cited as a particularly brilliant student at the age of 12. It was
perfectly logical for Him to be studying Bible during that particular year in
order to fulfill this custom.
Therefore, on Jan. 12, 1982, I will have been a man for 30 years. Frankly, that
span feels longer than that at this point, but they have been very interesting
years.
If I could change one thing, it would be to bring the Church around earlier
in my life. I didn’t meet the Messiah until I was 32 because there was very
little witnessing to the Jews. I knew many Christian people, but no one ever
“offended” me by telling me about the Messiah. Well, I would change all that
for me, and I hope it will change in your lifetime. Witness to your Jewish
friends now so that they won’t have to wait 32 years to find the truth.
To
Index
The fact is, they might not have that much time left.
JOHN ATKINSON, WRONG HANDS
Old Testament click bait
Creators of fake news get paid each time an Internet user “clicks” a headline to read the story,
however untrue or harmful it is. The cartoon above imagines similar headline bait in Bible times.
Preparing for the Third Temple
10
Jewish Telegraphic Agency / JTA.org
The Temple Institute, dedicated to
re-establishing the Holy Temple in
Jerusalem, recently announced the
opening of a school for training
Levitical priests for eventual service
in a new Temple.
The Institute ran several pilot programs
in recent years and now “is embarking
on a mission to teach Kohanim all the
practical skills required to serve in the
Third Holy Temple,” it reported in a
statement. The institute advocates a
new Jewish Holy Temple. Moslem fears
that Israel will change the status quo
of the Temple Mount, now controlled
by the Jordanian Waqf, have led to
repeated clashes over the years and
inspired a recent wave of terrorist
attacks aimed at Israelis.
The Institute has reconstructed nearly
all of the sacred vessels needed to perform the services in a rebuilt Temple
(The Second Temple was destroyed by
the Romans in 70 A.D.), including the
High Priest’s breastplate with 12 precious stones representing the Tribes of
Israel, the half-ton golden menorah,
and the musical instruments of the
Levitical choir.
The curriculum at the Nezer HaKodesh
Institute for Kohanic Studies will
include courses on Temple service
theory and practice, and the role
and application of modern
technology in the
Third Temple.
“We are extremely
excited to announce
this new step
toward the restoration of the Holy
Temple service.
We call first and
foremost upon
Kohanim (priests)
worldwide to support this special project, which signifies a return to their
birthright,” Rabbi Chaim Richman (above)
International Director of the Temple
Institute, said.
Many Christians refer excitedly to
rebuilding the Temple, convinced that
it is a key to the return of Yeshua, and
therefore worthy of financial backing—
as if it’s the most important happening
in Israel.
This attitude concerns me. First, those
initiating and carrying out this rebuilding are members of an extreme group
that has little credibility even among
the Orthodox Jews in Israel. Second,
from my perspective, it siphons energy,
prayer, relationship, and finances away
from the indigenous movement for
Yeshua in Israel. He said that we would
not see Him until we proclaim (from
Jerusalem) “Blessed is He who comes in
the name of the Lord.” He did not point
to the re-created Temple as the release
point for His return. Rebuilding the
Temple is a superficial step within the
Israeli religious scene, and not promoted by the local believers in Yeshua.
—Eitan Shishkoff (voicing a sentiment
shared by Zola)
Simulation of a rebuilt Holy Temple on the Temple
Mount in Jerusalem
To
Index
11
Surge in Anti-Semitism
By Rachel Zoll (r) Associated Press
American Jews gathered recently to
wrestle with how to confront an
election-year surge in anti-Semitism,
a level of bias not seen in the U.S.
for decades.
At a national meeting of the AntiDefamation League, the Jewish civil
rights group, about 1,000 people
listened to talks expressing shock at
the hatred expressed during the
presidential campaign and questioned
what they thought was a high level
of acceptance by other Americans.
“I’m struggling right now in this American moment,” said Yehuda Kurtzer,
president of the Shalom Hartman
Institute of North America, an education
and research organization, in his talk
at the event. “I wonder whether I have
been — and I think the answer is
probably yes — a little bit naive.”
During this past year, anti-Semitic
imagery proliferated on social media,
Jewish journalists were targeted, and
longstanding anti-Jewish conspiracy
theories got a fresh airing. Much of
the bias originated with the alt-right
(alternative right), often associated with
far-right efforts to preserve “white
identity” and oppose multiculturalism.
Alt-right views have been propagated
by the website Breitbart News under
the direction of Stephen K. Bannon,
whom Donald Trump has picked to be
a top White House advisor.
Jonathan Sarna, a Brandeis University
professor and historian of American
Judaism, said it would be wrong to
attribute the criticisms of Trump appointments or his supporters to partisanship.
“I don’t know anybody who says
nothing has changed,” he said in regard
to the surge of anti-Semitism.
“American Jews assumed that antiSemitism had largely been overcome,”
he added. “And then all of a sudden,
unexpectedly, anti-Semitism of a virulent kind came roaring back.”
Jonathan Greenblatt, left, incoming
national director for the Anti-Defamation
League, talks with Abe Foxman, outgoing
director of the ADL, on June 17, 2015.
(credit: Julie Jacobson / AP)
Philadelphia graffiti
To
Index
Ask the Chaplain
By Dr. Todd Baker
Zola Levitt Ministries
Staff Theologian
12
Q.
After our Bible study watched a portion of The Holy Days of Our Lord, we have a
few questions. 1. How do you feel about Christmas and Easter? Should followers
of Jesus celebrate these manmade holidays? 2. I understand that Halloween originated with remembering saints. Should followers of Jesus celebrate Halloween? 3. The
Bible says that we should celebrate Passover as a feast to the Lord: “… throughout your
generations you are to celebrate it as a permanent ordinance” (Exodus 12:14). It sounds
like Passover should still be observed.
We feel that the purpose of observance is to keep god [sic] in our hearts. God is
removed from much of our lives today, but if we would observe these feasts, we wouldn’t
be so far from him because we would be reminded constantly of our obligation to be holy.
A.
As with all worship “rules,” remember Colossians 2:16 — “Let no one judge you
in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon, or Sabbaths.”
1. Many people believe that the name Easter derives from various pagan goddesses of
fertility—Eostre/Eastre (Teutonic) or Astarte (Phoenician) or Ishtar (Babylonian-Assyrian)
— and has nothing to do with the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. As discussed in
our March 2016 Levitt Letter, this notion seems to have originated with the eighth-century
English monk, Bede, and was expanded on by Alexander Hislop in the early 1800s. However,
etymologists (those who study word origins) have cast doubt on the pagan origin and
suggest that “Easter” is of Saxon origin and equivalent to the German “Ostern” (“east” or
“dawn,” “new light,” and by extension “resurrection”). The Church celebrates the Lord’s
resurrection with every Lord’s Supper. “Easter” assumes its most authentic observance as
Resurrection Sunday when it coincides with the Levitical Feast of First Fruits, the day on
which the Lord rose. Christmas is man made. However, Believers can use the birth of
Messiah, whenever He was born, to share the Gospel.
2. “Halloween” is a contraction of All Hallows’ Eve, the
evening before All Hallows’ Day or All Saints’ Day, the Church
calendar’s time for, as you were informed, remembering the
saints (hallows) and the faithful departed. Christians would
hold vigil on All Hallows’ Eve for worshippers to prepare
themselves with prayer and fasting before the November 1
feast day. In 835, Pope Gregory IV moved the celebration
from May to November, claiming that Rome could not
accommodate the great number of pilgrims who flocked there in summer. The move to
a colder month more likely occurred due to Roman Fever, a particularly deadly strain of
malaria that killed a number of pilgrims during the region’s sultry summers.
Halloween is sometimes thought to stem from the Celtic festival of Samhain (Old Irish for
“summer’s end” and pronounced sah-win) that marked the fall-to-winter transition when
the boundary between this world and the “otherworld” thinned, allowing spirits and fairies
to more easily cross between. Instead of ceding the day to Satan, ExWitchMinistries.com
prefers to pray for each child who knocks for a treat. “After all, how often does the mission
field come to the door?” asks one former witch. (See October 2009 Levitt Letter.) “It may
be the only time all year anyone prays for that child.” And the Reformation occurred on
October 31, 1517—a good celebration of the day.
3. Passover was fulfilled in the atoning death of Jesus Christ and is celebrated by the
Church as often as we eat the bread and drink the cup (1 Corinthians 11:25–26). If
Believers choose to observe Passover and the Feasts, they should celebrate from a
Messianic perspective.
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p 23
ShaliachReport
Bearing Witness for Yeshua
in Jerusalem and Haifa
To The Jew First 13
By Dr. Todd Baker
Rm.1:16
Shopping areas provide fertile ground for this ministry’s To The Jew First
team members to meet unbelievers and strike up conversations that we can steer
into witnessing opportunities. At the Castro (Israeli clothing) store in Jerusalem,
I met an Arab Believer in Yeshua. As she had an
Arabic Bible, she declined my offer of a Hebrew
Bible but surprised me by asking her Jewish coworker if she would like the Hebrew Bible I offered.
The young Jewish woman was more than happy
to receive God’s Word that she noted included the
Jewish girl B’rit Hadashah (New Testament).
on left, Arab
girl on right
I briefly explained to her how Yeshua the Messiah
is the bridge that links both Testaments and is the
only One who can unite and complete Jew and gentile. I was touched by this
Arab Christian’s thoughtfulness in reaching out to secure her Jewish co-worker’s
access to God’s revelation of His Son through the Hebrew Scriptures.
Before leaving Jerusalem, I talked with Avraham in
an excellent opportunity to match for him the Messiah
prophesied in the Tanakh (Old Testament) with those
prophecies fulfilled by Yeshua in the B’rit Hadashah.
Avraham, who owns the hotel parking lot, warmly
accepted an Old Covenant-New Covenant Hebrew
Bible from me.
Avraham,
the parking
lot owner
In Haifa, I saw a perfect conversation opener when
I met Neti and could share with her that my Jewish
great-grandmother had the same first name, but with
a different spelling. Neti and I talked about God’s
plan for Israel that centers on the First and Second
Comings of Messiah Jesus. The Jewish Bible details the plan and describes the
Messiah so the Jewish people will recognize Him.
Amazingly, Neti already was aware of this subject
because her best friend is a Messianic Jew! I
perceived my meeting with Neti as a “divine
appointment” to reinforce her friend’s testimony.
I built on the information her friend had given her
and offered Neti a Hebrew Bible and Messianic
literature.
Neti holding new Hebrew Bible
With guidance from the Holy Spirit and her believing
friend, Neti can find the Biblical proof for Yeshua
being the Messiah. She’s already on her way to
acknowledging that her Jewish people need to
believe in Him for salvation and eternal life. Please
pray with me that Neti will accept Yeshua’s supreme
gift as she delves into these truths on a deeper
level directly from the Word of God.
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A NOTE FROM MARK / By Mark Levitt
Our Cup Runneth Over (Ps. 23:5)
Do you believe Donald Trump, presidentelect, recently accepted Yeshua as his
Savior? Dr. James Dobson recently posited
that opinion in an interview posted at
GodFactor.com: “I believe he really made
a commitment, but he’s a baby Christian.
We all need to be praying for him.”
Is President-elect Trump pro-Israel? In
November, Jason Greenblatt, Executive VP
at The Trump Organization, told Israel’s
Army Radio that his boss “doesn’t think
Israeli settlements should be condemned,
and they don’t pose an ‘obstacle to peace.’”
www.usnews.com
Our ministry’s readers and viewers have
plenty to celebrate despite today’s many
startling headlines. End-times prophecy
unfolds routinely as time marches toward
the Rapture, Armageddon, Jesus’ thousand-year reign, and Judgment Day. Savvy
Believers embrace our calling to share the
Gospel’s Good News with those who suppose modern life is a pointless rat race;
hence, our mission.
ZLM is devoted to amplifying and broadcasting the Word of God to the most souls
possible. Our multi-faceted teaching benefits a wide spectrum of whoever needs
Godly inspiration and Biblical education.
We deliver ongoing edification regarding:
• The milk of the Word for those who have
yet to accept Yeshua as their Savior
• The meat of the Word for Believers who
seek to deepen their Christian faith
• The Jewish roots of Christianity for
the many who hunger to grasp the continuing significance of the Old Testament
and their faith’s rich heritage
• The continuing importance of Israel,
fulfilling God’s Abrahamic Covenant to
Abraham’s descendants (Gen. 15:18–21)
• Israel’s modern fruition, not only as
fulfillment of God’s promise and its
founders’ vision, but also a celebration
of God’s Chosen People
• Hebrew, the tongue of our Lord, as a
mechanism for becoming more intimately
acquainted with the Bible, Israel, and
God Himself
14
• Current news events’ implications to
inspire Biblical watchmen to keep their
candles burning in anticipation of Jesus’
return (Isaiah 62:6)
Most of this ministry’s teachings are available
for free at www.levitt.com. Browsing our
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ZLM Bulletin Board
15
What Does the UN Do?
In the time-honored style of the BBC’s Yes, Minister, a brief skit
discusses the United Nations’ purpose. A UN spokesperson explains
that they primarily host cocktail parties with “the right canapés” in
order to keep the world at peace. For example, he disclosed, “The
Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty was saved by the deployment of
mushroom vol-au-vents.” The UN’s preventing anything from getting done allows its member nations to let off steam. “With so many
countries, you’ll appreciate that it’s very hard to agree on anything.
But a motion to censure Israel will bring everyone together.” Case
in point, 20 of the 25 motions that the
UN’s Human Rights Council passed
since 2006 have been against Israel.
No wonder, with 56 Moslem nations
and just one Jewish.
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Suicide Lives Matter
America suffers more than 33,000 gun deaths
per year, nearly two-thirds of which are
suicides; that means that of 42,700 suicides
nationwide, roughly 22,000 result from
gunfire. According to the BBC, the nearly
1,000 U.S. citizens shot and killed by police
in 2015 were: 494 – White, 258 – Black,
172 – Hispanic, 66 – Other / Unknown.
Suicides by firearm outnumber police shooting
deaths by more than 22 to 1. Though suicides
overall dwarf police killing of Blacks by 165 to
1, our news media pay comparatively little
attention to suicides. Not nearly as disproportionate, however, as the massive coverage
given to Palestinian rights
issues versus those of the
nearly 400 million Arabs
who are far more downtrodden in the Moslem
world than in Israel.
JANUARY 2017
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16
HebrewLesson
The Way of Perfect Peace
John J. Parsons
When we lose sight of the truth that God is in complete control of all things, we tend
to grow anxious. Feeling worried comes from focusing on ourselves, a perspective
that can make us feel alone, forgotten, and even victimized in this world. Worry moves
us to defend ourselves, to seek refuge in our own devices, and to forfeit the will of God
according to the dictates of lesser fears. The sages say it is not permitted to worry:
“To worry is a sin; only one sort of worry is permissible; to worry because one worries.”
We should worry that we worry because worrying indicates our hardness of heart and our
unbelief. God’s name YHVH (‫ )יהוה‬means “Presence,” “Breath,” “Life,” and “Love.” So
why be anxious for “tomorrow”? We really only have this moment, but this moment is
entirely sufficient when we walk in the light of God and seek to know Him in all our ways.
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The Name of the LORD is “I-AM-WITH-YOU-ALWAYS,” which implies that we always
live within His Presence and care, even if we are sometimes unconscious of this truth
(Matt. 28:20). As it is written in the prophets, hen al kapayim hachotikh: “Behold I have
engraved you on the palms of My hands” (Isa. 49:16). Remember the One who stretched
out His hands and died for your healing; remember that He said, “Do not be anxious
about tomorrow… sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matt. 6:34). Again,“do not be
anxious for any reason, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving,
let your requests be made known
to God, and the healing peace of
God—the very shalom of heaven—
which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your
minds in Yeshua the Messiah”
(Phil. 4:6-7). “He’s got the whole
world in His hand” (Ps. 95:4),
and we experience inner peace
when our minds are settled on
Him (Isaiah 26:3).
Courtesy: The Jerusalem Connection
The first part of the “Shema” (i.e., Deut. 6:4-9) admonishes us to remember the truth
of God “when you sit in your house, when you walk in your ways, when you lie down,
and when you rise up.” “In all your ways know Him” (Prov. 3:6), that is, in all that
you put your hand to do, look for God’s Presence and guidance (1 Cor. 10:31). This is
something you must do: As King David stated, “I have set the Lord always before me;
because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved” (Psalm 16:8). “Let the peace of
God rule in you” (Col. 3:15).
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Secrets of the Scrolls DVDs
7 half-hour TV programs on two DVDs
In 1947, a Bedouin boy in search of a lost goat threw a
stone through the narrow opening of a cave. Hearing
the sound of breaking pottery, he entered the cave and
happened upon a 2,000-year-old treasure. He had discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls. Secrets of the Scrolls gives
an historical account of these treasured manuscripts
and presents some remarkable revelations. The
authors of the Scrolls were intensely Messianic and
appear to have documented the actual fulfillment of
prophecy in the person of the Messiah. Such terms as
“son of God,” “branch of David,” “stripes or piercings,”
“being put to death,” and “raising the dead” all strike
a familiar chord. Quite possibly, these incredible
Scrolls represent the first extra-biblical revelation of
Jesus Christ in history.
The Scrolls — A New Revelation We quickly produced this half-hour program when
the DSS first became widely accessible for study. Zola quotes from the Associated
Press news release and emphasizes the significance of access.
The Scrolls: Part 2 Within days of our first program’s broadcast, Dr. James Tabor
phoned Zola to initiate a series of interviews that would unveil one of the 20th century’s
most dramatic revelations. This program is the first of these interviews. A professor of
Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Dr. Tabor delivers an
incredible lesson.
The Scrolls: Part 3 During this interview, Dr. Tabor refers to several books about
the Dead Sea Scrolls, including The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English by Vermes
(Penguin Press), The Dead Sea Scriptures by Gaster (Anchor Doubleday), and A Facsimile
Edition of the Dead Sea Scrolls (2 Volumes) by Robert Eisenman and James Robinson.
The Scrolls Special This program consolidates the first three programs and delivers
their powerful message in only thirty minutes. Later discoveries in Scrolls research
inspired the three following programs.
The Wilderness Group Michael Baigent, an English author, lectures in Qumran about
the Scrolls. Dr. Tabor describes various approaches to excavation and how they pertain
to the Scrolls. Dr. Robert Eisenman, a professor of Middle East religions at California
State University at Long Beach, discusses the fascinating history of the Scrolls.
In Search of Answers Dr. Eisenman discusses his quest to gain access to the Scrolls.
Dr. Tabor describes his archaeological team and how they map the caves in Qumran.
Prof. Michael Wise An in-depth interview with a professor of Aramaic, the language
of Yeshua. Prof. Wise, from the University of Chicago, helped translate the fragments
when they were first released. The New Jerusalem text, telling how the future will be,
is discussed enthusiastically. (See related articles pp. 32–33)
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Daniel and the Last Days
Battle for Planet Earth DVDs
8 programs on 2 DVDs
Jeffrey Seif compares today’s news to yesterday’s
prophecies, demonstrating that we live in ominous
times. Co-host Sandra Levitt gives key insights to
world events with a Word-inspired perspective.
Zola contributes with classic teaching episodes,
interview segments, and his timeless music.
The Personal Battle
Focuses on Daniel’s personal faith and piety, and
underscores the importance of individuals being “ready”
at day’s end. Considers what was on Daniel’s mind and in his heart.
The Battle for Time
History is not spiraling out of control, but is moving in accordance with a
predetermined plan. Daniel’s prophecies mention Jesus’ first coming, His death,
the destruction of Jerusalem, the re-gathering of Israel, the still-to-come
Tribulation period, the Messiah’s second coming, and the final battle.
The Culture Battle
Those troubled by today’s headlines will appreciate Daniel’s ancient prophecies of a
“Western” (Greek) culture squaring off against an “Eastern” (Persian) culture. These
connections prove both interesting and alarming.
The Spiritual Battle
That we “wrestle not with flesh and blood” becomes apparent as we consider the
emergence and naming of “archangels”—both Gabriel and Michael. Here we
discuss the roles and functions of angels, particularly their service in helping
Believers personally and Israel politically.
The Leader of the Evil Empire
Characteristics of the antiChrist’s person and administration are considered in this
segment, along with a brief description of his limits and eventual demise.
The Battle Plan
This program considers the antiChrist’s temporary dominion and his displacement
when Messiah returns. Daniel notes the devil’s influence over the world, informing
us that his day will come —at the end.
The Battle Royal, I
The dreaded “Battle of Armageddon” is explored as we examine Daniel’s prophetic
assessment of the world’s final countdown and conflict.
The Battle Royal, II
Here we follow Christ’s triumphant entrance onto the stage of the human drama
and witness the consequent displacement of wickedness. After we explore the
prophetic words of John and Zechariah, viewers’ hearts will warm as we say, “He is
coming soon— and we must be ready!”
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Christians Not Mobilized Ahead of UNESCO Vote
21
BY SAM SOKOL / JNS.org
Israel could have done a better job of enlisting Christian allies in its efforts to prevent
the United Nations from passing a resolution erasing the Jewish connection to the
Temple Mount and Western Wall, one South African legislator claims.
MP Kenneth Meshoe (below right), of the African Christian Democratic Party, alleged that
Jerusalem was slow in mobilizing its allies across the world, which prevented organizing
a grass roots campaign on its behalf.
“If many of these countries knew beforehand what was going to happen, their members
on the ground, their population would have said, ‘Our position is we need to defend the
right of Israel to be recognized as having a legitimate right to be in Jerusalem,’” he stated.
“It was a mistake for the Israeli government to be slow in informing the Christian population what was happening.”
In October, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
passed a resolution condemning Israeli actions on the Temple Mount. The resolution was
condemned by the United States and other countries and caused Israel to cease cooperation with the international body because it effectively erased history, e.g. naming Rachel’s
Tomb specifically as a mosque. (For a full report, see December 2016 Levitt Letter.)
While Israel reached out to the Vatican, attempting to gain support in lobbying UNESCO
members, and to evangelical groups, the efforts were not effective, according to Israeli
media reports.
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Several years ago, Israel began reaching
out to Christians, establishing a Knesset
caucus, its director Josh Reinstein recalled.
Israel formed similar caucuses in 35 parliaments around the world.
Meshoe
“We don’t have oil, so people who put an economic agenda first won’t stand with us,”
Reinstein observed. “Those who put belief ahead of politics will stand with us, and that
means we have to reach out to the Christian world.” Asked about Israel’s outreach efforts,
a spokesman for Israel’s Foreign Ministry noted that Jerusalem was “in contact with the
Christian communities on UNESCO and will keep on working together until the dishonest
and hypocritical resolution is no more.”
Mobilizing Christian allies may not be sufficient in overcoming entrenched diplomatic habits
and national perceptions of self-interest in the UN. “I believe it was [former Israeli UN
Ambassador and statesman Abba] Eban who stated that a resolution that the earth is flat,
if proposed by the Arab/Muslim bloc, is guaranteed to pass,” said Rabbi David Rosen,
international director of Interreligious Affairs of the American Jewish Committee.
“The UNESCO resolution was condemned by both the UN Secretary-General and UNESCO’s
Director-General,” Rosen said. “This is political theatre. The real hypocrites are China and
Russia, who supported the resolution. Christians don’t count in China, and only the
[Russian] Orthodox count in Russia.”
(credit: Sam Sokol)
Said Meshoe, “They need to inform
their Christian allies in time so they can
organize themselves.”
Some letters have been edited for space.
22
For ministry products and TV programs, visit the
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Seasons Greetings
Dear ZLM,
Seriously? You are twisting scripture to tell people to celebrate a heathen
holiday? (December Levitt Letter) I am very disappointed. Zola is probably rolling
in his grave. You know that “Christmas” is of pagan origins, but I will rebuke my
brethren for it is written in Matthew 18:
15 If
your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between
the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if
they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter
may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 17 If they
still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even
to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
And Deuteronomy13:
6 If
your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love,
or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, “Let us go and worship
other gods” (gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known, 7gods
of the peoples around you, whether near or far, from one end of the land
to the other), 8 do not yield to them or listen to them. Show them no pity.
Do not spare them or shield them. 9 You must certainly put them to
death. Your hand must be the first in putting them to death, and then the
hands of all the people. 10 Stone them to death, because they tried to
turn you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt,
out of the land of slavery. 11 Then all Israel will hear and be afraid, and
no one among you will do such an evil thing again.
I beg of you, repent of this blasphemy and set yourself right with God and
those who were affected by this sin, before His wrath pours out on you. Thanks, J.P.
Shalom shalom shalom, J.P! —
We wish a great measure of peace to you, especially in light of your
inaccurate accusations of this ministry. Perhaps you are familiar with the idea of
“winning a battle, but losing the war”? The phrase
Pyrrhic victory stems from King Pyrrhus of Epirus,
whose army suffered irreplaceable casualties
defeating the Romans in battles in the third
century B.C. during the Pyrrhic War. However,
Rome could simply replace its fallen soldiers
due to the size of Rome’s army-age population.
The cost of these temporary victories led to
the wry observations, “Another such victory
and I come back to Epirus alone,” and “If we
are victorious in one more battle with the
Romans, we shall be utterly ruined.”
JANUARY 2017
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ZLM
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P.O. BOX 12268
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DALLAS, TX 75225-0268
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LETTERS TO ZLM continued
“Winning the battle and losing the war” applies to your view of Messianic
ministries’ongoing efforts to win over Christians to a Hebraic view of the Bible and
the life of Yeshua. We thank God that more people every day look into the Jewish
roots of Christianity and adjust their lives and worship to the Hebraic calendar.
Katharine and I have been at this task for decades, as was Zola, and
we advise our congregation members to go “low and slow” apropos expunging
cherished traditions from the culture of faith-oriented Believers. There are too
many anecdotes of zealous (and often self-righteous, J.P.) “Messianic gentiles”
who approach these matters with the force of a recently converted non-smoker.
The genuine health benefit they promote is compromised by the discomfort they
cause to everyone within fume range.
Regarding Christmas, we at ZLM don’t “twist scripture to tell people to
celebrate a heathen holiday,” as you accuse. We teach the powerful history of
Hanukkah, which preserved the Jewish people so there could be a (Jewish)
Messiah! We teach about the appearance of Yeshua at the Feast of Dedication
(Hanukkah) in John 10:22, underscoring His very observant, Jewish lifestyle. We
investigate the possibility that the Master was born in spring or fall, and not on
December 25th. (By the way, our upcoming TV series Close Encounters with
Yeshua includes teaching about His likely birthdate—stay tuned!)
Here’s the stumbling block for you, I think: We teach that Christmas is as
good a day as any to thank God for Jesus, and in fact it may be a time when friends
and family are most open to hearing the Gospel of salvation because they are
soft-hearted due to years of cultural association with “the Reason for the Season.”
I do not believe that the above line of reasoning and approach to a treasured holiday (for many, but not me, by the way) will bring God’s wrath upon me.
However, I do not question your wrath, for it is quite clear. I suggest a hearty round
of “Joy to the World” with a stiff cup of chamomile tea. Merry Messiahmas —Myles
Dear J.P.—
You consider it a sin to celebrate Christ’s birth? Did you even read the
reasons to observe Christmas that Sandra Teplinsky enumerated in her article?
On page 12, Todd reaffirms Myles: “Believers can use the birth of Messiah, whenever He was born, to share the Gospel.” Please also consider Colossians 2:16 —
“Let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon,
or Sabbaths.”—Editor
23
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LETTERS TO ZLM continued
24
Island Prison Ministry
Aloha ZLM,
Thank you so much for your generous donations of Bible-teaching
resources. The audio CDs take us—as if in person—to the Holy Land, and we
love them. The Israel and Jerusalem maps now hang in our library and look
fantastic! One of our chapel workers is studying Hebrew, now with Zola’s
Introduction to Hebrew donated by your ministry.
We, as the Body of Christ, need to keep abreast with current and truthful
facts about what is happening in Israel and the surrounding, now persecuted,
Christian communities. Thank you for stepping into the gap and keeping us
connected with our heritage in the Holy Land of Israel.
The support and interesting materials that ZLM provides are unique and
well received by our flock. These resources help keep our convicts informed and
growing in the broader aspects of Christian culture, which brings about a fuller
loving relationship with our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus.
Warmest Aloha, Chaplain C.N. (Halawa Correctional Facility, Hawaii)
Shalom Chaplain C.N.—
What a delightful opening for a letter to our ministry. We rarely hear
about our donations to the many prisoners that we support through our limited
resources, and we thank you for your gratitude and understanding of the heartbeat of ZLM. We align with God, who promises that He is “not willing that any
perish, but that all come to everlasting life” (2 Peter 3:9).
Our desire is that your flock of prisoners leave their time of incarceration
with renewed hope and new faith in the One who alone can help them change
their lives. Thanks to donors who give to ZLM, we have the ability to extend our
assistance to shepherds like you who obviously care for those souls entrusted to
you. Thank you for serving the prisoners in your sphere of influence.
God sees your labor of love, and we are standing with you in prayer
AND practical applications. It is our joy to supply you with the materials you
need to accomplish your mission. Our hope is that others in the ZLM community
would step up and donate generously so that together we can accomplish all
that God wants us to do. —Blessings, Myles
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25
UN Praises Israeli Disaster Relief
BY JAMEY KEATEN / Associated Press
The UN health agency has given Israel top marks for its disaster relief capabilities, lauding its unparalleled ability to deploy full medical teams to treat the
injured and the sick after natural disasters or outbreaks of viruses.
The WHO certification program of emergency medical teams (EMT) sets standards
of care for international response to health emergencies such as the Ebola virus
in West Africa, Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines in 2013, or Haiti’s earthquake
in 2010.
In November, the World Health Organization program gave Israel’s team the top
grade for its ability to deploy field hospitals, provide medical services, and be
self-sufficient in a crisis zone. Dr. Ian Norton, who heads the EMT initiative, said
Israel scored best among the 75 national and non-governmental group teams.
The teams are judged on their ability to act self-sufficiently in devastated communities and provide the most adequate treatment.
Israel’s team is “probably two to three times the size of any other team that we
have currently,” Norton said. “They literally bring 220 people to the field, they
weigh 100 tons— they are enormous — they provide at least 90 to 100 beds,
including a 12-bed intensive care unit, which is really expensive and difficult
to run. Disaster emergencies can bring people together— a way to put politics
aside for a moment and just concentrate on saving lives.”
About half of the 75 teams are government-led, and the others are from nongovernmental groups such as the International Federation of Red Cross and Red
Crescent Societies.
Dr. Ofer Merin, a lieutenant-colonel in the Israeli reserves who commands the
Medical Corps field hospital, said gaining WHO recognition was a point of pride
for Israel. Merin said a team that arrives in a disaster zone without the right
equipment or protocols risks turning into a “burden” on the affected country.
“There’s no question that all of us will be able to deploy better to each one of
our missions in the future,” he said. “It’s not just that we got the stamp that says
‘we’re the best team.’ We gained a lot from this process, which means our future
patients will gain a lot.”
UN Ranks Israel's Field Hospital as Best in the World
ZOLA LEVITT MINISTRIES
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P.O. BOX 12268
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(214) 696-8844
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Bad Robot
SCIENCE:
By Simona Weinglass
TimesOfIsrael.com
26
A mysterious commercial on YouTube showed a typical Israeli kindergarten, and announced
with fanfare that the “first digital kindergarten” in Israel had opened on a moshav (agricultural cooperative) in the Sharon region. Everything about the kindergarten was ordinary,
except that the preschool teacher was actually a tele-presence robot. In one scene, a boy
tried to give his teacher a hug, and knocked the robot over. In another scene, a girl asked the
teacher to help her wipe herself in the bathroom, and the teacher replied, “Wipe yourself!”
“We believe in the child’s intuitive ability to independently navigate the digital space,” explained the teacher, Tzila. “After 30 years in the conventional education system, educating
from home is a refreshing change!” But then Tzila’s battery ran out. The children were
stunned. One five-year-old child who watched the commercial with this reporter concluded,
“It’s better to have a teacher who is a real person and not a machine.” The digital kindergarten commercial was launched on YouTube with no explanation. A few days later, Mizrahi
Tefahot, Israel’s third-largest bank, took credit, with the caption: “Presented as food for
thought from Mizrahi Tefahot.”
“The commercial generated a lot of discussion, with about a million views,” noted a source
at the bank. “Some people declared, ‘This is terrible.’ Others suggested, ‘Great idea.’ Not
everyone understood that it was in jest.” But the source revealed that the commercial
underscored a disturbing trend.
In 2014–2015, of more than 1,000 bank branches in Israel, 77 closed, mostly by the two
largest banks, Leumi and Hapoalim. With the philosophy that digital will replace the human,
they are closing branches and laying off workers. According to the Bank of Israel, 17% of
all personal banking transactions are conducted over the Internet, and this percentage is
expected to rise. Israel’s Supervisor of the Banks instructed each of Israel’s banks to present
a plan for making themselves more efficient, and these plans are almost certain to include
closing more branches and laying off more staff.
Mizrahi Tefahot has closed almost no branches in recent years and is going in the opposite
direction. Said the bank’s source, “We believe that for investment advice, mortgage counseling, and tips on how to manage your bank accounts, there is no replacement for a
human banker.”
Bank digitization, a global trend, can be seen at the corner of Nordau and Ibn Gabirol Streets
in Tel Aviv. Three years ago, the three banks there all closed and were replaced by Bank
Hapoalim’s single flagship “digital branch”—no tellers and only a handful of employees.
Visitors to the sleek branch, which resembles an Apple Store, conduct all their transactions
on tablets, with employees
approaching customers
who need help. People in
the neighborhood complain that the branch is
often empty. “Who needs
a digital branch when you
can do the same thing at
home over the Internet?”
remarked Noa Zlotnik, a
spokeswoman for the
labor union of Israel’s
First International Bank.
Digital kindergarten teacher
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Metabolic Way To Resist Viruses
27
MEDICINE: BY SHOSHANNA SOLOMON / TimesOfIsrael.com
Viral infection — like the recent outbreaks of the Zika and Ebola viruses—
is one of the leading medical challenges of the 21st century. New research led
by The Hebrew University of Jerusalem indicates there may be a new way to resist virus
infections: by targeting the genetic regulation of metabolic processes on which viruses
rely to replicate.
Viruses are parasites that lack
the basic metabolic machinery
needed to replicate. To get
around this problem, they
hijack the metabolic machinery
of their hosts in order to
complete their life cycle and
propagate. However, scientists
have never had a good understanding of the metabolic
interplay between viruses and
the organisms they infect.
Live fluorescent
imaging of viruses
(red) and liver cells
(green)
In the new research, which appears in the journal Nature Chemical Biology, the international
team systematically identified a number of genetic switches that control the metabolic
response to the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. By carefully selecting drugs that target
these genetic switches, the researchers were able to show how these genes control metabolic
processes, such as glucose and lipid metabolism, and to establish how these processes
affect the virus life cycle. Surprisingly, while some metabolic processes were beneficial for
the virus, for example by providing it with genetic building blocks allowing it to replicate
faster, other metabolic processes were surprisingly anti-viral, disturbing the virus’s life cycle.
“This is the first indication that our cells can block replication of Flaviviridae viruses like HCV
and Zika by denying them critical building blocks the viruses need to survive,” said Prof.
Yaakov Nahmias, director of the Alexander Grass Center for Bioengineering at The Hebrew
University of Jerusalem, who led the study. “Our results present a new approach to treating
virus infection by targeting the genetic regulation of metabolic processes on which the virus
relies.” When viruses interfere with metabolic regulation, it affects the liver. Researchers mapped
the metabolism of both infected liver cells and normal liver cells, and were able to identify
the switches responsible for their dysregulation. Then they blocked each switch using pharmaceuticals, and studied the effects of this inhibition on the virus. While blocking glucose
metabolism was detrimental to the virus, blocking lipid metabolism had the reverse effect,
actually increasing replication.
The authors pointed out that the Flaviviridae family of viruses, which includes Hepatitis C,
dengue, West Nile, yellow fever, and Zika viruses, were previously considered to be expert
metabolic engineers that optimized the hijacking of host metabolic machinery to create
more viruses. “It was quite surprising to see that human liver cells could use metabolic
processes to resist viral infection,” noted Prof. Jörg Timm, a co-author from the Institute
of Virology at the University of Düsseldorf. “It went against our common understanding of
viruses, suggesting new avenues to target virus infection.”
Photo: Prof. Yaakov Nahmias
Participating in the research were The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Harvard Medical
School, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Tel Aviv University, University of DuisburgEssen, and the University of Düsseldorf.
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28
Israel’s Multicultural First-Responders
BY ABIGAIL KLEIN LEICHMAN (r) Israel21c.org
An unusual hug caused thunderous applause at a recent Knesset ceremony
saluting Israel’s emergency medical first-responders and search-and-rescue
personnel.
Parliamentarian Yehudah Glick,
who survived an Arab shooting
attack two years ago, spontaneously climbed onto the podium
to embrace Kabahah Muawhiya,
an Arab-Israeli volunteer EMT
with United Hatzalah of Israel,
a national volunteer emergency
medical services organization.
“United Hatzalah is not just about emergency first response and medical rescuing;
it is literally uniting people from different walks of life and different religions,”
Muawhiya told Israeli lawmakers. “It is a uniting of peoples and a unity of hearts.”
Many people are surprised to learn that Arab citizens volunteer and work for the
Israeli emergency response organizations Magen David Adom (MDA) and United
Hatzalah.
For the first-responders, it’s only natural that representatives of all Israel’s
population groups would cooperate to save lives.
“I am there to treat people who are hurt, and it doesn’t matter if they are Jewish
or Arab,” United Hatzalah volunteer medic Khaled Rishek says. Rishek and
Muawhiya are among about 300 Moslem, Druze, and Christian United Hatzalah
volunteer EMTs, paramedics, and doctors out of about 3,000 who race to calls
in their own neighborhoods.
(continued next page)
Magen David Adom senior
paramedic Ziad Dawiyat.
Photo courtesy of MDA
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First-Responders... continued
29
United Hatzalah badge
After 10 years in United Hatzalah, Rishek is friends with many of
the Jewish volunteers in Jerusalem. He lives on a street with Arabs on
one side and Jews on the other, along the former border between Jordan
and Israel.
Eli Beer and Murad Alyan (r) are united by their passion for saving lives.
Photo courtesy of United Hatzalah of Israel
“Khaled is one of our most active
volunteers,” observes United
Hatzalah founder Eli Beer, who
shared a $10,000 peace prize
with his Arab coordinator, Murad
Alyan, in 2013. (The Victor J.
Goldberg IIE Prize for Peace in
the Middle East promotes the
international exchange of people
and ideas toward achieving
lasting peace.)
During a spate of recent terror attacks, an MDA crew comprising ultra-Orthodox
Jews Yisrael Arbus and Haggai Bar-Tov, and Fadi Dikdik (from a Moslem neighborhood of Jerusalem) told a news reporter, “We are like brothers.”
Dikdik is responsible for the whole East Jerusalem area for MDA and speaks Arabic,
Hebrew, English, Yiddish, and Russian. He has worked with MDA for 12 years and
recruits teens from his Moslem neighborhood to take MDA’s first-aid course.
In August 2015, MDA senior paramedic Ziad Dawiyat, an Arab-Israeli, went to assist
a mother in labor in Jerusalem—the same woman whose fatally injured infant he
had transported to the hospital the previous October following a terror attack.
“Natural disasters
do not differentiate between
peoples; they
affect everyone,”
said Dr. Akram
Amro, director of
Palestinian volunteer organization
Green Land
Society for Health
Development
(GLSHD). “Therefore, we too, as
residents in this
region, must unite
in order to be
able to help each
other, regardless
From left, ultra-Orthodox,
of religion or
secular Jewish, and Arab volunteers
nationality.”
from United Hatzalah working together.
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Protected by his Israeli bodyguard, Ban
meets President Reuven Rivlin in Jerusalem
SELECT
30
MEDIA
BRIEFS
BRIEFS
As the saying goes, you
can’t have it both ways.
Either Israelis are treacherous racists, or they are
reliable enough for dignitaries, regardless of race
or creed, to trust with
their lives. No one ever
decried Nazi racism and
then turned around and
hired Nazi bodyguards.
Even UN Chief Uses
Israeli Security
By Yossi Aloni & Ryan Jones / Israel Today
Much was made of Israeli security
protecting Rio’s 2016 Olympic Games.
But even UN Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon has an Israeli bodyguard.
Meet Medad Ashkenazi, who during
his service in the Israeli army handled
contacts with the United Nations.
For the past eight years, Ashkenazi
has been working as a security guard
at the UN, and for two years now, he
has been a personal guard of the secretary-general. Ashkenazi was offered
his current position after another Israeli
guard was promoted to a more senior
position within the UN’s security
apparatus.
Nor was Ashkenazi the only Israeli
considered for the job. Another guard,
a former agent in the Shin Bet security
service, was also considered for Ban’s
personal bodyguard. The UN chief
seems proud of his Israeli security and
frequently mentions his bodyguards
during talks with government officials.
Critics, especially at the UN, routinely
portray Israel as a racist and hostile
nation. And yet many who support
such claims, tacitly or otherwise, seek
out Israeli security for themselves,
thereby acknowledging that Israelis
are trustworthy.
Woman Ordered Raped
in Honor Case
ClarionProject.org
After a man was accused of attempting
to molest a young girl in Pakistan, the
village council ordered that the girl’s
father rape the man’s married daughter.
In October, the woman, who was close
to five month’s pregnant from the rape,
set herself on fire.
After her father was arrested for the
attempted assault, he was booked by
the police but subsequently released
and then brought to the local panchayat
(village council), who ordered the
retaliatory rape.
The daughter of the accused molester
was living in her father’s house while
her husband was working abroad.
Before she died in the hospital, the
victim of the “justice”—due to a crime
committed by her father—gave birth
to a stillborn baby.
Where is the outcry from whatever
moderate Moselms oppose such barbaric
applications of sharia (Islamic) law?
Sharia law has reached “Penetration”
(phase 3 of a 5-step takeover strategy)
in the U.S. Very precarious for Texas,
Michigan, Florida, Minnesota, and
California.
—Mark
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SELECT MEDIA BRIEFS continued
31
Tel Aviv’s Four-Legged Citizens
By Caterina Lani / JPost.com
I am a young Italian who moved to Israel two years ago to take up “the next job.”
To this non-Jew, Tel Aviv offered many new and surprising discoveries, but the
best was the love Tel Avivians have for their dogs. I had never encountered
many people who love animals as much as I do.
In Italy people buy dogs, frequently turning them into fashion accessories. I am
confident one could study this trend and identify the most fashionable breed in
any given year. Here, though, restaurants and cafés are dog-friendly and always
happy to accommodate our four-legged friends, providing them with water and
sometimes even tasty treats. In Italy, things are rather different; establishments
often turn away customers with dogs. Customers themselves will sometimes
complain about the presence of dogs at a venue (they complain about children,
too).
But there are other striking differences. The infrastructure in Tel Aviv to care for
dogs and keep them happy never ceases to amaze me. I had never seen a dog
park with such a well-kept fence, seats, and even a water fountain. The level of
care (by both the people and government) is astonishing; the dog park I use
most often was recently refurbished to improve its functionality. I also find
incredible the organization and professionalism of dog trainers/walkers here,
who routinely assist dog owners in building better relationships with their dogs,
and in co-existing in this “urban jungle.” Their service is not a luxury, but rather
a widely used resource.
All these elements show strong evidence for the important role dogs play in the
lives of Tel-Avivians. The people of this city not only opt to adopt four-legged
friends, providing them with warm and deserved homes, but also invest time
and money in bettering their lives. Through this support system, dogs become
life companions for their owners and families, and ascend to a level higher
than elsewhere.
Thanks to Tel Aviv’s dog-friendly infrastructure, I was able to adopt Chuku,
making her my
friend for life and Chuku at Palmahim Beach
(credit: Dov Greenblat)
a source of endless affection. I
worry about how
we will cope
when we both
leave Tel Aviv,
chasing my next
job. For the time
being, however,
I can say that in
Tel Aviv, my love
for dogs is the
norm, no longer
an exception.
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32
Search For Dead Sea Scrolls Renewed
ARCHAEOLOGY: By Daniel Estrin (r) Associated Press
Israel is embarking on a major archaeological expedition to find yet undiscovered
Dead Sea Scrolls, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced recently.
A government research team will spend the next three years surveying hundreds
of caves in the Judean Desert near the Dead Sea, the arid region where the
Dead Sea Scrolls, the world’s oldest Biblical manuscripts and now the crown
jewel of Israeli antiquities, were preserved for thousands of years and discovered
in1947. Archaeologists also hope to find other antiquities dating back 5,000 years
ago, as well as from the 1st-century Jewish-Roman war and the 2nd-century
Bar Kokhba revolt, when Jewish fighters battling the Roman army sought refuge
in the desert.
In recent years, ancient manuscripts have trickled onto the local antiquities market,
and looters are believed to have plundered them from Dead Sea-area caves,
prompting the government initiative. “We know there are more,” an IAA spokesman said of undiscovered scrolls. “Most of the places haven’t been reached.”
Discovered between 1947 and 1956, the Dead Sea Scrolls comprise a collection
of 972 ancient manuscripts containing parts of the Hebrew Bible, as well as a
range of extra-Biblical documents. They were found by shepherd Muhammed
Edh-Dhib as he searched for a stray among the limestone cliffs at Khirbet Qumran
on the shores of the Dead Sea. Muhammed hurled a stone into the dark interior
of a cave in the crevice of a steep rocky hillside and was startled to hear the
sound of breaking pots. Venturing inside, the young Bedouin found a collection
of large clay jars, in some of which he found old scrolls, some wrapped in linen
and blackened with age.
The texts are of monumental historical and religious significance. They include
the earliest known surviving copies of Biblical and extra-Biblical documents, and
also preserve evidence of diversity in late Second Temple Period Judaism.
(continued next page)
Dr. Adolfo Roitman presents
a part of the Isaiah Scroll
Caves in the limestone
cliffs at Khirbet Qumran
where the Dead Sea
Scrolls were discovered
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Back to
p. 17
33
Archaeology…continued
Dated to various ranges between 408 B.C. and 318 A.D., they are
written in Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, and Nabataean, some on papyrus
and bronze but mostly on parchment. The scrolls traditionally divide into
three groups:
“Biblical” manuscripts—copies of texts from the Hebrew Bible—make up
40% of the haul.
Other religious manuscripts—including known documents from the Second
Temple Period like the books of Enoch, Jubilees, Tobit, and Sirach, that were
not included in the Bible—make up 30% of the identified scrolls.
“Sectarian” manuscripts—previously unknown documents that shed light on
the beliefs of Jewish groups of the time, like the Community Rule, War Scroll,
Pesher on Habakkuk, and the Rule of the Blessing—make up the remaining 30%.
While some of the writings have survived as nearly intact scrolls, most of the
archive consists of thousands of parchment and papyrus fragments.
(Zola discusses the Scrolls’ importance in Secrets of the Scrolls. p. 17)
The Dead Sea Scrolls: Greatest Find of the 20th Century
By Traci Watson / USAToday.com
In 1970, while excavating Ein-Gedi, a Jewish village on the western
shore of the Dead Sea that was destroyed by fire around 600 A.D.,
archaeologists found the community’s synagogue. Inside the synagogue, they discovered a Holy Ark, the cabinet where Torahs are
stored. The Ein-Gedi ark held charred debris that had once been
sacred scrolls.
Scroll fragments
The Ein-Gedi manuscript—a burned, 1,500-year-old Hebrew scroll—required
a new digital analysis technique. Previous studies had identified text within ancient artifacts,
but the Ein-Gedi manuscript represented the first severely damaged scroll to be virtually
unrolled and non-invasively read, line by line. (See the video.) To scholars’ astonishment,
the newly divulged text matched exactly both the letters and format of text found in modern
Torah scrolls read by most Jews today.
The scroll showed two distinct columns of Hebrew writing that contain lines, words, letters,
and spacing that revealed the phrases:
• “If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, a male”
• “without blemish he shall offer; to the entrance of the tent of meeting,
he shall bring”
• “it is for acceptance on his behalf before the Lord. ‘He shall lay his
hand upon the head ...”
Further analysis revealed the scroll’s writings to be the Book of Leviticus, which makes it
the earliest copy of a Pentateuchal book ever found in a synagogue.
At Qumran, I love reminding our pilgrims that the Scrolls are a brilliant birthday present
from God to the Jewish people. Isaiah 66:8 speaks of a nation being born in day, and when
Israel was reborn, God verified the Jews’ historical relationship to the land with the preserved Bible as a gift! —Myles
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China Cracks Down On House Churches
34
Reported in Chinese by Qiao Nong. Translated by Carolyn Song.
Written in English by Brynne Lawrence. / ChinaAid.org
In an unprecedented move, administrative offices in China’s central Henan
province convened a meeting at summer’s end to target China’s rapidly growing
network of Catholic and Protestant house churches and force unauthorized
churches to comply with Communist Party regulations.
According to government department head Tai Xuchen, the meeting’s purpose was
to divide the responsibility of regulating house churches, disposing of “illegal”
religious institutions in order to protect people who take part in “legal” religious
activities and maintain the stability and order of religions.
To accomplish this, these departments set forth a four-step series of objectives,
each to be met within a specified time frame.
• Local government departments identify Catholic and Protestant house churches
and submit a list of them to their superiors.
• Village departments assist as religious affairs bureaus issue notices demanding
that specified churches make personalized changes within a certain time period.
• Government personnel close all churches that refuse to comply.
• Officials compile success rates, figures to be included in their year-end review.
This campaign echoes the new political trend in China’s Regulations on Religious
Affairs, introduced in early September specifying tighter control on peaceful
religious activities, such as punishing house church meetings by imprisoning
Christians or heavily fining church leaders, forbidding religious adherents from
attending conferences or trainings abroad, and barring minors from receiving
religious education.
House Church
These measures violate China’s own
constitution, which claims to guarantee
religious liberty and condemns discriminating against religious and nonreligious citizens. The campaign also
breaches the country’s pledges to
adhere to the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and
the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
In response, a group of human rights lawyers mailed a document to Wang Zuo’an,
bureau chief of the National Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau, pointing out
contradictions to constitutionally sanctioned rights to religious freedom and
offering suggestions.
Christians in Henan report: “Since Wang Zuo’an became bureau chief, no major
actions occurred. But, it is apparent that he has been gathering a network and
using these many years to investigate, using every government department to experiment in the Zhejiang province, like demolishing crosses. These new religious
regulations formally enact his experiments and extend them nationwide.”
China Aid exposes abuses, such as those enacted against unofficial Protestant and Catholic house churches,
in order to stand in solidarity with Chinese Christians and promote religious freedom in China.
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35
Jewish Humor, Etc.
One-liners
Did you hear about the thieves that broke into the
synagogue offices? They got away with over $2,000
in pledges.
Seen in the University of Texas student newspaper:
Sweet, little old Jewish lady wishes to correspond with
UT undergraduate. Prefers six-foot male with brown
eyes answering to initials: J.D.B.
Signed, His Mother.
A cheerful heart is
good medicine –
Proverbs 17:22
Jewish Telegram: Begin worrying.
Details to follow.
The president of the congregation
went to the hospital to visit the
rabbi who had just suffered a
mild heart attack. “Rabbi,” he
said, “the board just voted
12 to 8 to wish you a speedy
recovery.”
Why do Jewish mothers make
effective parole officers? They
never let anyone finish a
sentence.
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Non Profit Org
US Postage
PAID
Dallas, TX
Permit #1851
Jewish Heritage Calendar
2017
With the Seven Feasts of Israel in mind, imagine
the usefulness of our delightful and inexpensive
Jewish Heritage Calendar. This beautiful calendar
began in September and spans 13 months, through
September 2017. It provides the dates of all the
Biblical feasts and Sabbaths plus the names of the
months, the Holy Days, and all the rest through
English phonetics like those in our monthly
Hebrew Lesson in the Levitt Letter. Enjoy Biblical
feast graphics, Hebraic regalia pictures, and
inspiration.
Israel
Zola Tours
Box 12268, Dallas, TX 75225
2016 –
To
Index
Zola Levitt Ministries is ECFA approved
Visit Israel and Petra!
Join Pastors Myles & Katharine Weiss next Spring
Petra &
Garden
Tomb
Spring Tour 2017
Israel:
March 12–21 $4,288
Israel + Petra:
March 12–24 $5,488
(prices include tips, taxes,
and fuel surcharge)
For more info and registration see:
www.levitt.com/tours
36
JANUARY 2017
Go!
Call Zola Tours at 214-696-9760
or email [email protected].
A refundable deposit by credit card will
hold your reservation.
FOR CREDIT CARD ORDERS OR DONATIONS, YOU MAY CALL 1-800-WONDERS (966-3377).
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